Fireflies
by regnum
Summary: K/K FLUFF Between the Shishio arc and the Revenge arc, Kaoru is revisiting the place where they said their first good-bye. Can things really be different?


Fireflies

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and the characters in it are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki-sensei. I am just borrowing and playing around with them.

~*~

She stood on the banks of the river, a cool breeze rushed past, ruffling her long black hair. She smiled a little, she loved it out here. Daylight was fading, and slowly, the fireflies emerged, casting a minute glow on the darkening water below. Long grass brushed the hem of her kimono as she moved closer to the water's edge. She sat down, arranging her legs under her carefully, leaning back against  a nearby tree. 

During the day, the river's banks were just another area that could be ignored. The overgrown grass and willows dividing the road from the river failed to appeal, seeming scruffy and unkempt. At night, when the fireflies came out, the atmosphere changed completely. It was beautiful. The moonlight seemed to bring out the hidden charm, the dark shadows created an almost mysterious air. 

There were so many memories here. To her it had always been a place that symbolised laughter and hope. Laughter, because of all the happy times spent there and hope that one day the revolution would truly be over and that Japan would have peace in this new Meiji era. She had always seen this place by the banks as _hers_, even if it looked the same as any other spot to a casual passer-by. 

They would bring the girls out here in spring and summer to watch the fireflies. The two of them always insisted on trying to catch some, exclaiming happily when they did.

_"Ken-nii!__ Ken-nii! Look how many I caught!" _

_"Me too!__ Me too! Look, Ken-nii!" _

She could imagine the patient look his face would bear, with Ayame and Suzume clinging and tugging at the sleeves of his gi. He loved those girls like they were his own, they all did. She thought of them as the younger siblings she never had. 

"Hai, hai, I see them, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, that's very good! There's so many in there! Shall we count them?" 

_He crouched down so he was eye level with them, smiling at their excited nods, "Okay, one, two, three, four, five…did I just count that one?"_

_The girls burst into giggles as the confused look on his face, "Hai, you did, Ken-nii! Start again!" Suzume chirped, clapping her hands._

_"Start again! Start again!" Ayame laughed, joining in her sister's chant._

He was good with children, he could make them laugh and he had the patience of a saint. It was hard to believe he had been a former assassin for the government; feared by many. A single firefly fluttered past her face, catching her azure eyes in its glow. The sound of the water moving past behind her was calming in it's own way. It seemed to echo the girls' happy laughter. 

Then again, this was also a place of tears. This was where they had said goodbye, where he had walked out of her life. On a dark night just like this. She had been so scared then…he had been walking towards a possible death; she could have lost him forever. She had been through too much death; the death of her mother when she was just a baby, and her father's death, had left her constantly in fear of losing her newfound family.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono," his face was sombre, "I've decided to go to Edo." 

She felt her face go slack, "Kenshin…not -" 

"I don't know," he stared at the ground, thick red hair obscuring his normally open eyes from view, "I'm not sure," he looked into her eyes, "Have I really changed, Kaoru-dono?"  His intense gaze demanded an answer, but she was at a loss for words. He hung his head again, "I'm still a murderer. Maybe I always will be." 

_"That-that's not true, Kenshin," she shook her head stubbornly, "You always came back, you've always kept your vow of not killing." _

_"No. The first time, it was you," hi s voice was quiet, so low she could barely hear him, "You brought me back from that madness, Kaoru-dono…but, I don't think even you can save me now." The fireflies danced around them, pinpricks of light against the moonless sky._

_He looked her straight in the eye, "When I first met you, you told me that a person's past didn't matter. You didn't care that I had been a heartless killer, you didn't care that I had the blood of countless innocents on my hands. You just wanted me to stay," his violet eyes glistened, reflecting the fireflies' light, "You don't know how much that meant to me." _

_"Ken-"_

_He sighed, cutting her off, "But, to the rest of __Japan__, I will always be that murderer. I can't stay here, it's not safe for you, Sano, Yahiko or Megumi."_

_Her heart was breaking, it wasn't supposed to be like this. He didn't know how she felt, how much he meant to her…how much she needed him here. As though sensing her thoughts, he gently pulled her into a hug._

_"Arigato, Kaoru-dono…for everything," his breath was warm, fluttering against her cheek, "I've always been a wanderer. Perhaps that's the life God intended me to have." He held her for a minute longer. The fireflies moved around them slowly, bright relief from the darkness that shrouded them._

_Then he let go. She finally allowed her tears to fall, sinking to her knees, uncaring to the condition of her clothes. He had already turned to go, slight frame slipping in and out of the darkness, highlighted occasionally by the brief light of the fireflies before disappearing completely. _

_"Kenshin…" her hands beat uselessly against the rough, dirt road, words forcing past numb lips in a choked whisper, "Ken…shin…"_

She had always thought of herself as strong. She had been so wrong. All that time crying over his departure seemed so useless now, she could have been looking for him, could have found him sooner. She had been stupid not to see it earlier. It was her stubbornness; her refusal to allow him to return to the past that had sent her after him. 

_"Kenshin, promise me we'll all go back to __Kyoto__ together."_

He smiled gently and nodded, "Hai, Kaoru-dono."

He had kept that promise. She leaned against the tree, rough bark pressing through the thin material of her kimono. They had made it home. This was her happily ever after. Almost. If only she could explain her feelings to him, hear him express his feelings to her. In her heart, she knew he loved her, but the words had never passed his lips. Their relationship was purely platonic, he still called her 'Kaoru-dono' and she never protested. 

Absently she plucked at the weeds beside her, startling the fireflies and causing them to flutter frantically around her in protest of the invasion of their space. Above her, a few clouds blocked the moon, shrouding her in a hopeless darkness.

"Kaoru-dono?" 

He walked silently towards her, emerging out of the shadows, a darker shadow compared to the ones around her, " What are you doing out here? It's getting late." 

"Just thinking," she flicked a few grass seeds into the water, then rose slowly, "I'm coming, Kenshin." 

He waited patiently for her, silhouetted slightly by the ever-present fireflies, "What were you thinking about?"  She could just see the fond smile on his face. 

"Just that…well, this place has a lot of memories, doesn't it?" 

There was a break in the clouds and some of the moonlight broke free of its prison, reflecting off her cerulean eyes. He was reminded of another night when they had stood like this, "Hai Kaoru-dono, it does. But, some memories are better forgotten." 

She brushed her hair over her shoulder, taking one last look at the now moonlit river, "That's why we make new memories, Kenshin." 

He nodded slowly, taking her words in, "I think we should go in, Kaoru-dono."

Behind them, the fireflies continued to dance. 

~*~

A/N: I wrote this for a school assignment. It did okay, however it was off the topic. I was supposed to write a story about a place that meant something. *sweatdrops* Anyway, I hope you like it. ^.^ Reviews and criticisms welcome! Either that or sign the GB. 

© Abi 2001-08-27


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